C13 The Fortuitous Encounter at the Snack Street

A graduation certificate?

Howard's eyes widened in disbelief. "You mean it?"

"Would I, an old man, deceive you?" Prof. Mcclain shot Howard a dissatisfied look. "Just make sure your thesis is up to par, and the graduation certificate is yours!"

Prof. Mcclain emphasized the word 'pass' with particular intensity.

Howard got the message and grinned. "No worries. I'll bring my thesis to you tomorrow!"

Alright.

But make it quick!

I don't want to be kept waiting too long!

Prof. Mcclain ushered Howard towards the door as he spoke, "Scram, stop pestering me!"

Truth be told, he was eager to assimilate the new knowledge he had just acquired.

With age, one must be quick to jot things down, or risk forgetting them shortly after.

The old gentleman is truly a character!

Howard chuckled to himself, shaking his head. He grabbed his phone and hummed a tune on his way to the class advisor's office. "Heh, I'm about to graduate!"

"Show-off."

The counselor's lips twitched in annoyance.

What a situation!

Graduating on the very first day of school.

"Have you not considered pursuing a master's degree?" The counselor asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Nope."

Howard shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm good. I won't be coming to school for a few days; I'm off to finalize my thesis."

Alright then.

With Prof. Mcclain's word, the counselor had little else to add, rubbing his nose in a mix of disbelief and awe.

There are indeed geniuses who seem destined for greatness!

Watching Howard walk away, the counselor couldn't help but feel envious.

The lucky devil.

Regarding the thesis.

It wasn't a challenge for Howard. He simply used a library computer and, in just one morning, completed his thesis on the Golden Crow. Revisions were unnecessary.

As for the content.

Howard was confident it was ready for publication.

Once the thesis was printed and the original file destroyed, he bound the finished work and set off to find Fredia.

But with Fredia and Mollie busy with classes all day and meeting with professors to discuss their own theses at lunch, Howard found himself strolling the campus alone.

He had plans to visit the famed food street.

As a native of Zuchar, he harbored a certain fixation on food.

Particularly after mastering God-level culinary skills, savoring the hidden gems of the city's streets and alleys became one of his greatest joys in life.

Once he casually tossed his thesis into his system space, Howard strolled out of the campus and made his way to the bustling food street.

It was prime time, around 11 or 12 o'clock.

The street was teeming with people.

Handsome men and gorgeous women were everywhere, their long, gleaming legs delighting many a love-struck man. Dining here was nothing short of bliss.

While Howard was enjoying his leisurely walk,

A pair of twins clutching candied fruit stepped in front of him, their bright eyes leaving him somewhat bewildered. Their eyes, they reminded him of his Senior Sister!

Adorably clueless.

"Hey there, little miss, can I help you with something?" Howard asked, his curiosity piqued by the two purposeful-looking little girls.

Surely they hadn't stopped him just because he was good-looking?

"You're Fredia's boyfriend, aren't you?" the more spirited of the two lolis asked, cocking her head to the side.

Fredia's sister?

Howard paused for a moment, scrutinizing the girls' features. Despite some differences, their eyes and noses were strikingly similar.

But how did they know him?

Howard was intrigued.

"It's definitely you, the spitting image of the guy in my sister's friend circle!" The loli compared the photo on her phone and then clung to his leg, declaring, "Caught you! No letting go until you give me a present!"

"I caught you too. No present for Beth, no letting go," echoed Beth, clinging to Howard's other leg.

With the two little girls clinging to him, Howard could only offer a wry smile. He glanced at the photo on the loli's phone, then at the person who posted it—indeed, it was Fredia!

"Alright, alright, I'll get you a present," Howard conceded, patting their heads with a gentle smile. "I should introduce myself. I'm Howard. Feel free to call me by my name, or whatever you're comfortable with!"

"Then I'll call you Brother Howard. I'm Heidi, and you can just call me Heidi!" Heidi said with a giggle, releasing her grip and playfully grabbing Howard's pinky finger.

"My name is Beth," she said, still as endearingly clueless as ever, latching onto Howard's thumb.

It was truly a wonder!

Hold on a second!

Howard snapped to attention, his voice tinged with concern, "Didn't you have school today?"

"We sure did. We're prodigies, you know—students in the Todmorden University's program for young geniuses," the two girls boasted with pride.

Aha!

That explained their encounter.

Howard clicked his tongue in admiration. The Liu family's genes were indeed remarkable; such young girls, and already they were both geniuses!

"Well then, we're short on time. Whatever you want, I'll buy it!" Howard declared, his gesture grand and generous.

"We'll take you up on that offer!"

Despite not being short on cash, the girls had limited pocket money due to their strict upbringing. Now that they'd run into their sister's boyfriend, they weren't about to miss out on the chance to take advantage of the situation.

Got it.

The girls' intentions were transparent, and though they had talked a big game about fleecing Howard, when it came down to it, they were too shy to follow through. All they really wanted was for Howard to splurge on some fancy ice cream for them.

With their strict discipline and mature understanding, they were truly delightful children.

He spent the day with them until their afternoon classes began. As they prepared to leave, Beth tugged gently on Howard's pinky and asked in a soft voice, "Brother Howard, can I come over to your place to play today?"

"Me too! I want to come as well! Beth is always getting her way; we agreed to sneak over together!" Heidi huffed, gripping Howard's hand with a pleading look. "Brother Howard, I want to come along too!"

"Sure!"

"Let's all go together!"

Howard chuckled, resigned. "But first, you need to clear it with your family, okay?"

"No problem!"

The two little girls beamed with joy, bouncing off toward their classroom. Before they disappeared inside, they sent Howard an adorable flying kiss.

Haha!

These two were just too cute.

And then there was fate—indescribably delightful.

In the vast city of Todmorden, he had effortlessly stumbled upon his Senior Sister's family. And most astonishingly, he had managed to hit it off with them so easily.

From the chatter of the two young girls, Howard gathered that the biggest hurdle in their family was their uncle, Fredia's father. Everyone else, it seemed, was approachable.

The only hurdle in the future was his father-in-law.

It probably wouldn't be too tough!

Howard scratched his chin, lapsing into deep contemplation.